Brixham harbour mural remembers D-Day troops

Slipways were built in Brixham in preparation the D-Day landings

A "neglected" part of a seaside town has been transformed with a mural honouring World War Two troops.

The mural, painted by local artist Neil Wilkinson-Cave, covers a wall on Berry Head Road, Brixham in Devon,

It marks the embarkation of US troops from Brixham for the D-Day landings and for the earlier training operation Exercise Tiger, which left 749 dead.

The US servicemen died at Slapton in Devon when their convoys were attacked by German torpedo boats in April 1944.

The area was neglected with graffiti and smothered with ivy before the mural was painted

Cecilia Kean, director of Brixham Arts & Theatre Society (BATS) which commissioned the work, said it "wanted to bring together the various separate elements of commemoration of the American troops in the Second World War, an important part of Brixham's wartime history".

The slipways of Brixham breakwater were built by British Army Royal Engineers in May 1943 in preparation the D-Day invasion of France, codenamed Operation Overlord, in June 1944.

There is also a garden on Berry Head Road, created where two houses were demolished to allow for the turning of tanks ready to embark.

Overlooking all the area is Wolborough House, which was a D-Day command centre.

The area was neglected with graffiti and smothered with ivy so the project has also helped to rejuvenate a part of Brixham, said BATS.

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